Iran rejects ‘meaningless’ direct talks with US
As war of words over nuclear weapons deal escalates, FM Araghchi says he wants talks on ‘equal footing’. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the prospect of direct negotiations on its nuclear programme with the United States as “meaningless” amid mounting tensions between the two countries. Araghchi’s remarks came in a statement on Sunday, after Trump said last month in a letter sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that he hoped there would be a negotiation between their countries aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump upped the ante last week, saying: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.” Araghchi questioned Washington’s sincerity in calling for negotiations, saying on Sunday, “If you want negotiations, then what is the point of threatening?” Tehran, which maintains that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon, has so far rejected Washington’s overtures, but has said it is open to indirect diplomacy – a stance repeated by Araghchi in Sunday’s statement. Araghchi said Iran wanted to negotiate on an “equal footing” with the US, describing it as “a party that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials”. Advertisement Upping the ante Western countries, led by the US, have for decades accused Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. In 2018, during his first term as president, Trump nixed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal between Iran and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council that gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. Iran has since rolled back on its commitments under the agreement, amassing enough fissile material for multiple bombs, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which carries out inspections of Iranian nuclear sites. Responding to Trump’s threat of war, Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Saturday that the country was “ready” for war. “We are not worried about war at all. We will not be the initiators of war, but we are ready for any war,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Salami as saying. But Tehran’s position in the region appears to have weakened amid the ongoing war in Gaza and beyond, with Israel’s decimation of Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon, and the toppling of another key partner, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, last year. Iran says its nuclear activities are solely for civilian purposes. Israel, the top US ally in the region, is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal. Adblock test (Why?)
Rains add to misery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises to 3,471
Heavy rains have lashed parts of earthquake-hit Myanmar, complicating relief efforts and raising the risk of disease as the death toll from the powerful quakes that struck the country on March 28 rose to at least 3,471. Aid workers in the hard-hit city of Mandalay, near the epicentre of the earthquake, said on Sunday that rains and winds hit tent camps in the area overnight and in the morning, soaking survivors and their belongings. More bouts of rain were expected later in the day, while temperatures were also forecast to climb to 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit). “The weather is very extreme,” Tun Tun, a specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, told the AFP news agency. Aid agencies have warned the combination of unseasonable rains and extreme heat could cause outbreaks of disease, including cholera, among quake survivors, who are camping in the open. Rainfall hits Sagaing on April 6 Rain poured down again in Sagaing at around 6 am on April 6. On the evening of April 5, unseasonal rain fell in Sagaing, Mandalay and Kyaukse towns, causing further difficulties for earthquake victims on the roads. pic.twitter.com/0ErqYjwJih — Eleven Myanmar (@ElevenMyanmar) April 6, 2025 Advertisement The magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit a wide swath of Myanmar, home to 50 million people, causing significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyidaw. It left many areas without power, telephone or mobile phone connections, and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess. It also worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis triggered by the country’s civil war that has internally displaced more than three million people and left nearly 20 million in need, according to the UN. State media in the military-led country now say the earthquake has caused 3,471 deaths and injured 4,671 people, while 214 remain missing. It has damaged some 5,223 buildings, 1,824 schools, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams and 184 sections of the country’s main highway. People sort through the rubble of a collapsed building in Mandalay on April 5, 2025, following the earthquake [Zaw Htun/AFP] ‘Traumatised and fearful’ Damage has been particularly severe in the city of Sagaing near the epicentre, as well as in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher, who is in Mandalay, described the scale of the damage as “epic” and said survivors, who are “traumatised and fearful”, need food, water, shelter and electricity urgently. In a video posted to X, Fletcher noted the quake had brought devastation to communities that were already in crisis. “It’s a compounding crisis,” he said. “It’s earthquake, on top of conflict, on top of huge existing need.” Advertisement He noted that aftershocks continued in the region more than a week after the earthquake. The United States Geological Survey said a magnitude 4.7 quake struck south of Mandalay late on Friday. A week after Mandalay earthquake, with devastating damage and aftershocks strong, this is a traumatised and fearful community. We are determined to save survivors and help them rebuild: we need the world to share that commitment. pic.twitter.com/jDSfvGVMDd — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) April 6, 2025 Though Myanmar’s military government, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a coup in February 2021 overthrowing the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, declared a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that the army was restricting aid in areas that did not back its rule. The UN agency also said it was investigating reported military attacks against opponents, including after the ceasefire. Free Burma Rangers, a relief group, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday that the military had dropped bombs in Karenni and Shan states on Thursday and Friday despite the ceasefire announcement, killing at least five people. The victims included civilians, according to the group’s founder, David Eubank, who said there had been at least seven such military attacks since the ceasefire. There was no immediate comment from the military on the allegations. US aid team fired Myanmar’s neighbours, such as China, India and Southeast Asian nations, have dispatched relief supplies and rescuers over the past week to the country, while the US – which was until recently the world’s top humanitarian donor – has pledged at least $9m to support earthquake-affected communities. Advertisement Current and former US officials say the dismantling of the country’s foreign aid programme has affected its response. Three US Agency for International Development workers who had travelled to Myanmar after the quake were told they were being let go, Marcia Wong, a former senior USAID official, told Reuters. “This team is working incredibly hard, focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination – how can that not be demoralising?” Wong said. The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong said, adding that their terminations would take effect in a few months. In neighbouring Thailand, meanwhile, authorities said the country’s death toll from the quake had risen to 24. Of those, 17 died at the site of an under-construction skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok. Another 77 are still missing. Search operations continue into the night as Thai authorities look for survivors trapped in the wreckage of a collapsed building in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 5, 2025 [Daniel Ceng/Anadolu] Adblock test (Why?)
Judge awards $6.6M to whistleblowers who were fired after reporting Texas AG Ken Paxton to FBI
A district court judge awarded $6.6 million combined to four whistleblowers who sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on claims he fired them in retaliation for reporting him to the FBI. Blake Brickman, David Maxwell, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar notified Paxton and his office on Oct. 1, 2020, that they had reported him to the FBI for allegedly abusing his office. The four were all fired by mid-November. Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled Friday that by a “preponderance of the evidence,” the whistleblowers proved liability, damages and attorney’s fees in their complaint against the attorney general’s office. The judgment says the former aides made their reports to federal law enforcement “in good faith” and that Paxton’s office did not dispute any claims or damages in the lawsuit. FBI FLOODED WITH RECORD NUMBER OF NEW AGENT APPLICATIONS IN KASH PATEL’S FIRST MONTH LEADING BUREAU “Because the Office of the Attorney General violated the Texas Whistleblower Act by firing and otherwise retaliating against the plaintiff for in good faith reporting violations of law by Ken Paxton and OAG, the court hereby renders judgment for plaintiffs,” Mauzy wrote in her judgment. The court found that the four former aides of the attorney general were fired in retaliation for reporting allegations that he was using his office to accept bribes from Austin real estate developer and political donor Nate Paul, who employed a woman with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair. Paxton has denied allegations that he accepted bribes or misused his office to help Paul. “It should shock all Texans that their chief law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the law, but that is exactly what happened in this case,” Tom Nesbitt, an attorney representing Brickman, and TJ Turner, an attorney representing Maxwell, said in a joint statement. Paxton said in a statement that the judge’s ruling is “ridiculous” and “not based on the facts or the law.” He said his office plans to appeal the ruling. The attorney general was probed by federal authorities after eight employees reported his office to the FBI in 2020 for bribery allegations. He agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.3 million that would be paid by the legislature, but the state House rejected his request and conducted its own investigation. Paxton was impeached in the House in 2023 before he was later acquitted in the Senate. TEXAS AG PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES: ‘THE TRUTH PREVAILED’ In November, the state Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling that would have required Paxton to testify in the lawsuit. The U.S. Justice Department declined to pursue its investigation into Paxton in the final weeks of the Biden administration, according to The Associated Press. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gurugram-Alwar highway to make journey between 2 states faster, reduce travel time, will be completed in…
This new road will benefit around 50 villages on both sides of the highway and provide better connectivity for thousands of people.
Israel’s Netanyahu set for talks with Trump in Washington, DC
US media reports citing unnamed US and Israeli officials say the meeting would take place at the White House on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, DC for talks with US President Donald Trump on a range of issues, including tariffs and Iran, Netanyahu’s office announced. The agenda for the trip will include Turkiye-Israel relations, “the Iranian threat”, Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, tariffs and the “fight against the International Criminal Court,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said on Saturday. US media reports citing unnamed US and Israeli officials said the meeting would take place at the White House on Monday. Trump’s invitation came after a phone call on Thursday between the two leaders. Netanyahu raised the issue of tariffs during the conversation. Israel faces a 17-percent tariff under Trump’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs”. Israel recently moved to cancel remaining tariffs on US imports. The two countries’ free trade agreement, signed four decades ago, ensures that about 98 percent of US goods enter Israel tax-free. Netanyahu is currently visiting Hungary on his first trip to Europe since 2023 in defiance of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Advertisement Hungary’s government announced its withdrawal from the ICC just before Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed his Israeli counterpart. The United States is not a member of the court. Also on the agenda will be stalled efforts to reach a new agreement on a Gaza ceasefire deal and the return of Israeli captives held by Palestinian groups there. Israel renewed its attacks on Gaza last month, shattering a short-lived truce with the Palestinian group Hamas. Trump also has pressed Iran to enter talks on a new deal regarding its nuclear programme. Iran has said it would be willing to hold indirect talks. Western countries, led by the US, have, for decades, accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran rejects these allegations and maintains that its nuclear activities exist solely for civilian purposes. Adblock test (Why?)
Will Israel’s starvation policy work in Gaza?
There are growing warnings that food supplies in Gaza will soon run out. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse by the day. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned it only has food stocks to last a few days. With limited supplies and no fuel, all bakeries have already closed across the Strip. That’s left Palestinians with no food, no home, and no sense of security. Israel has been blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Strip for more than a month. So, is famine now inevitable? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Ahmad al-Najjar – Resident in Gaza who’s been reporting on the war Sam Rose – Acting director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in Gaza Martin Griffiths – Director of Mediation Group International Firas El Echi – Journalist, host of the Here’s Why podcast Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,137
Here’s where things stand on Sunday, April 6: Fighting Three women were wounded and several fires broke out in a Russian air attack on the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack also damaged several houses, Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim posted on the Telegram messaging app. Russia also launched air attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight, with the city’s air defence forces trying to repel the attack, according to officials. The latest strikes come a day after the Ukrainian Air Force reported shooting down 51 of 92 drones launched at the country by Russian forces overnight on Saturday. Russia’s Ministry of Defence has accused Ukraine of increasing its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, including in the regions of Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Voronezh, despite a United States-brokered moratorium. Ukraine dismissed the claims as “fake”. Ukrainian drones struck an explosive production facility in Russia’s Samara region, causing multiple explosions and fires, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a source in Ukraine’s security service. Advertisement Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed disappointment in the US Embassy’s “weak reaction” to a Russian missile strike that killed 18 people, including nine children, in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih. He noted that the US condemnation of the attack made no reference to Russia. Zelenskyy hailed “tangible progress” after meeting with British and French military chiefs in Kyiv to discuss the potential deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force to Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
Mohali: 17-year-old dies by suicide after jumping from 4th floor of popular mall
Police were informed about the incident around 9:30 am. “Our team reached the spot within five to eight minutes and he was rushed to a hospital. We were informed by the hospital a few hours later that he had died,” a police official told the media.
PM Modi to inaugurate India’s first vertical lift sea bridge in Tamil Nadu today: Here’s all you need to know
The bridge’s story traces back to 1914, when British engineers constructed the original Pamban bridge.
Good news for people of this state, more Vande Bharat trains soon: Check route, stoppages and other important details
Railway officials have already started working on this plan. As per the directions of East Central Railway (ECR), the Sonpur division has taken the first step by beginning the study process.